Wylde Magic | Book 3

Nineteen: Baeleon

I watched Thain tuck away that part of him that became the beast when he went to battle. It took the rest of the evening as we started marching, and then once the sun was falling and Uldur announced that we would walk through the night, Thain was in a better mood for talking. 

Which made one of us. 

Hot, tired, and wishing I had taken a bath before we left, I marched on silently with Puko in my arms. I stroked the bird's feathers gently as the freeloader nestled against me, not doing anything but adding to the weight I had to carry through the trees as the moon rose high. 

Uldur allowed us a short rest every few hours. I wasn't pleased to hear that this would be a constant for the day and a half trip to Thanantholl, but I did appreciate getting back to the city of my heart as soon as possible. The short rests laying next to Thain weren't too bad either. 

Night fell, dawn rose, and night was falling again when Schula fell into step next to me. Schula yawned and I turned my head to watch her expression.

"I'm so tired," she grumbled. "The first thing I want to see when we get back is my bed."

"Don't get your hopes up," Yaz said, walking not too far behind us. "The first thing you'll likely see is the place."

Schula groaned, rubbing her temples. "Even King Baeleon sleeps sometimes."

"He has kept odd hours lately with the war," Eberon chimed in, slowing his pace a moment to fall into step beside Shula and me. "The last time I saw him was the middle of the day right as he was finally going to bed. If I can say anything about King Baeleon, it's that he is dedicated to his court above all else."

A few fae around us nodded in agreement.

Schula sighed. "I guess we'll see what he wants to do when we get there."

"Soon," Heyra's soothing voice called from behind us.

Yaz nodded to the dryad. "Heyra's right, we'll be there soon."

I looked ahead of us, but all I could see was trees. Golden, orange, and red leaves blazed before us. The familiar purple bushes and the dusty blue vines that crawled waist high up most tree trunks. I thought the sight of the Autumn lands so strange when I first laid eyes on them but seeing them again now brought forth tears. 

"What is wrong, little one?" Spaulder's low voice startled me from my right, the opposite side that Schula walked on. 

"Oh, nothing. I'm just being sentimental I guess," I answered, wiping my face. "I've missed this place and we're getting close."

"Ah." Spaulder chuckled. "I see. I have heard so much of this Autumn city, I must admit I am looking forward to seeing it with my own eyes."

Schula hummed, looking toward the sunset that lit the Autumn lands on fire. The light would die out soon, and then we would be left with the blue hues of moonlight and the song of the crickets. 

"I don't know if you can come with us to the palace, Spaulder," Schula murmured. "Or rather, I don't know if you should."

I reached out to hold Spaulder's hand. "Why couldn't he?"

"It's not that he couldn't," Schula corrected herself. "It's just that if anyone in the Wyldes could tell on sight what Spaulder really is, it's going to be Baeleon."

Nassir stepped forward. "That is true. Baeleon is older than me by a good amount, and the days in which the-"

Nassir looked up at Spaulder. "Well, let's just say Baeleon's memory could stretch that far back."